Page 7 - Palm City Spotlight - July '20
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Palm City Spotlight, Page 7
In Your Community from page 6 and worked tirelessly to encourage fathers to be active and
present in all phases of their children’s lives. Too often,
Five Ways To Be The Best mothers raise children alone. The absence of a father usually
has a negative effect on children.
Father You Can Be The FCRC’s mission is to educate fathers on how to have
a supportive role in their children’s lives, regardless of the
By Drew Gray, Fatherhood Educator, The David Cardno family circumstances. In honor of David Cardno, who passed
Father & Child Resource Center at Martin County Healthy away in October 2015, and Father’s Day, we have created
Start Coalition some tips: “Five ways to be the best father you can be.”
Although Father’s Day is celebrated officially once a Please reach out to the Father & Child Resource Center
year, there are 365 days in the year to be a great dad. As if you are seeking counsel regarding your children. Learn
the educator of the David Cardno Father & Child Resource more at www.mchealthystart.org.
Center Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, I wanted to 1. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you
share some insights as to every dad can be the best father can do as a father. If fathers cannot take care of themselves,
possible. how can they take care of their children? As fathers, we need
David Cardno founded the Father & Child Resource to take care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically
Center (FCRC) in July 2000 as a part of the Martin County and spiritually. We need to eat right and exercise. Don’t
Healthy Start Coalition. The Father & Child Resource be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Mental health is
Center’s mission is to promote responsible fatherhood in the essential and vital to our physical health. We will have
community. We greatly appreciate the funding that we receive better relationships with our children when we are active
from The Children’s Services Council of Martin County. and healthy.
David espoused the virtues of a two-parent household Create time for yourself. We don’t have to be around our
Drew Gray, fatherhood educator of the David Cardno Father
& Child Resource Center in Stuart, makes time to play with
his daughter Rylie at Flagler Park.
Photo by Beverly Bevis Jones
kids 24/7 to be good fathers. Take time to cultivate your
hobbies and interests. Allow time to unwind and recharge.
This same advice applies to your partner.
2. Spend quality time with your children every day.
Arrange an activity that is fun or meaningful with your child.
It can be something as simple as reading a book at night with
them or taking them to the park.
Enjoy seeing the world through their eyes. Life is busy,
and it seems like there are always a million things to do.
Those things can wait. “Life is but a vapor.” Children grow
up so fast, and you can’t regain missed opportunities.
3. Be a role model. Remember, children see so much more
than you realize. They are always watching and absorbing
everything we do. No parent is perfect, but we should strive
to be a constructive parent in our children’s lives. Live your
own life responsibly and honestly as an example for them
to follow.
Show your daughter how a true gentleman acts. Let her
understand that she deserves to be treated with respect and
how a future partner should treat her.
4. Eat together as a family. This simple practice has
a profound effect on children as they grow up. It provides
structure and time for fathers to listen to their children
and offer advice. Children can talk openly and let their
fathers know what’s going on in their lives. Fathers have an
opportunity to engage with their children and understand
them better.
5. Discipline with love. Too often, discipline is correlated
and confused with punishment. We have all heard the phrase,
“just wait ‘til your father gets home.” This threat creates
an image of fathers as the enforcer of punishment, and
that should not be the case. Children need discipline, not
punishment.
We want to set limits for our children and make sure they
understand there are consequences for their actions. Express
yourself calmly and reasonably. Instead of learning from
fear of punishment, our children should learn from the love,
respect and guidance they are given.
About Martin County Healthy Start Coalition
Martin County Healthy Start Coalition is a nonprofit
501(c)3 offering support and education to pregnant women,
infants and their families. All of our services are confidential,
free of charge and not income-based.
Martin County’s Healthy Start Coalition opened its doors
in February 1993 when Governor and First Lady Lawton
Chiles challenged local communities to form coalitions to
reduce Florida’s alarmingly high infant mortality rate.
The Martin County Healthy Start Coalition continued to
grow with the Prenatal Outreach Center’s opening in July
2007. The Prenatal Outreach Center is located in Stuart
and expanded with a satellite site in Indiantown in 2017.
Martin County Healthy Start Coalition has helped over
1,500 women in Martin County access prenatal care from
these two locations.
The coalition’s task is to provide high-quality prenatal
care for mothers, health care for children and bridging any
gaps in this care locally. As a true coalition functions, we
know only together can we improve outcomes for women and
See answer in this paper. babies. We invite you to be a force for change in improving
the health and well-being of our families.